SaySo, the recently launched video-first, creator-led news app from Caliber, parent company of The News Movement and The Recount enlisted a singing newsie in a new campaign. SaySo is built around the idea that staying informed shouldn’t mean endless scrolling and overwhelm. So each day users get an intentionally finite and personalized Daily Digest of vetted, creator-led news content, designed to keep them informed on the topics they care most about.
For a product built to get people off the doomscroll, SaySo went deliberately offline to launch it. Two stunts, two cities.
In New York, SaySo sent a singing newscaster onto the subway to perform real news headlines accompanied by a QR code to download the app. From the Knicks to the Strait of Hormuz to the UFC White House match, SaySo’s singing newsie covered all the hot topics.
In London for SaySo’s UK launch, SaySo covered the streets during SXSW London with wild postings carrying a single message: “Be as smart as you think you are.” A line that speaks to how hours spent scrolling can leave you more anxious and less informed than when you started.
Lizzie Gordon, Caliber’s Marketing Director, said, “We’re building a product that pushes back against the attention economy, so it felt right that our launch did the same. Going offline was a strategic decision. The campaign was designed to disrupt routines and spark curiosity. A singing newsie on the subway and wild postings on the streets of London are both saying the same thing: there’s a better way to stay informed, and it doesn’t have to feel like a chore.”
